Abstract
Heart failure (HF)-related cognitive decline is a common condition and may be associated with health literacy. However, gender differences in this context have not been explored fully. This secondary data analysis aimed to identify gender differences in the impact of cognitive function on health literacy among older patients with HF. A total of 135 patients (75 men and 60 women) with a mean age of 73.01 ± 6.45 years were recruited. Older women with HF had higher cognitive impairment (15%) and inadequate health literacy (56.7%) compared to men. Cognitive function was the strongest predictor of health literacy in men (β = 3.668, p < 0.001) and women (β = 2.926, p = 0.004). Notably elderly women are likely to face double the burden of the influence of cognitive function on health literacy in comparison with men. It is necessary to assess cognitive function and health literacy during HF illness trajectories on a regular basis. Healthcare professionals working with patients with HF should be aware of gender differences in cognitive function and health literacy and the importance of assessing these factors.
Highlights
Heart failure (HF), one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide, is a deliberating and progressive condition [1,2]
Healthcare professionals working with patients with HF should be aware of gender differences in cognitive function and health literacy and the importance of assessing these factors
Some studies on gender differences in cognitive function reported that women score better than men on tests of verbal abilities, and in contrast, men perform better than women on tests of visuospatial skills in general [8,10]
Summary
Heart failure (HF), one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide, is a deliberating and progressive condition [1,2]. Self-care behaviors among older patients with HF are more complicated owing to co-morbidities and age-related problems such as hearing, visual, and cognitive impairments. Cognitive impairment means that a person has trouble remembering recent events, focusing or making decisions that affect their activities of daily living [7,8]. HF-related cognitive dysfunction is common in 73–80% of HF patients [8,11]. Cognitive impairment may interfere with the ability and awareness to recognize worsening symptoms, to perform self-care activities adequately, and to seek individualized treatment [9,12]. Previous studies suggest that healthcare professionals should consider the impact of cognitive impairment on self-care behaviors and utilizing healthcare services among older HF patients [3,8,12]. According to a recent study [13], women showed
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